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Data: Fair

Menthol

IMAGE SOURCE: PubChem

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Other Concerns

Multiple, additive exposure sources (low)

SYNONYMS

● (1ALPHA,2BETA,5ALPHA)-5-METHYL-2-(1-METHYLETHYL)CYCLOHEXANE
● 2-ISOPROPYL-5-METHYLCYCLOHEXANOL
● 3-HYDROXY-P-MENTHANE
● 5-METHYL-2-(1-METHYLETHYL)- CYCLOHEXANOL
● 5-METHYL-2-(1-METHYLETHYL)CYCLOHEXANOL
● CYCLOHEXANOL, 5-METHYL-2-(1-METHYLETHYL)-
● CYCLOHEXANOL, 5-METHYL-2-(1-METHYLETHYL)-, (1R,2S,5R)-REL-
● DL-MENTHOL
● L-MENTHOL
● MENTHOL
● MENTHOL CRYSTAL
● P-METHAN-3-OL
● RACEMIC MENTHOL

Restricted

Restricted: EWG VERIFIED products cannot contain this ingredient without adequate substantiation


Menthol is a scent ingredient naturally found in peppermin oil; also manufactured synthetically on a large scale.

Common concerns

See how this product scores for common concerns.

  • LOW
    Cancer
  • HIGH
    Allergies & Immunotoxicity
  • LOW
    Developmental and Reproductive Toxicity
  • LOW
    Use Restrictions

Ingredient concerns

  • CONCERNS
  • DATA SOURCES

Products with this Ingredient

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shampoo135 products
mouthwash130 products
conditioner103 products
hair treatment/serum69 products
facial cleanser54 products
lip balm54 products
toothpaste47 products
body wash/cleanser44 products
moisturizer36 products
exfoliant/scrub28 products
mask26 products
bath oil/salts/soak23 products
muscle/joint soreness23 products
shaving cream (men's)23 products
shaving cream22 products
tooth whitening22 products
lip plumper17 products
after sun product15 products
setting powder/spray15 products
after shave13 products
lip gloss13 products
hair-loss treatment12 products
facial moisturizer/treatment10 products
body powder10 products
toners/astringents10 products
foot moisturizer9 products
foundation9 products
lipstick8 products
foot cleansing8 products
bar soap8 products
foot odor control6 products
pore strips6 products
body oil6 products
makeup primer6 products
styling gel/lotion5 products
lip balm with SPF5 products
antiperspirant/deodorant (men's)5 products
serums & essences5 products
beard cleanser5 products
hair removal waxes4 products
body firming lotion4 products
detangler4 products
hair styling aide4 products
recreational sunscreen4 products
antiperspirant/deodorant3 products
body spray3 products
facial powder2 products
makeup remover2 products
vapor rubs2 products
damaged skin treatment2 products
2 products
blush1 products
hair spray1 products
baby wipes1 products
cuticle treatment1 products
liquid hand soap1 products
beard oil1 products
bubble bath1 products
around-eye cream1 products
beard care1 products
makeup removing wipes1 products
nail glue1 products
nail polish1 products

Allergies/immunotoxicity

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CONCERN REFERENCE
Known human any toxicant or allergenOpen scientific literature
Human any toxicant or allergen - strong evidenceOpen scientific literature

Multiple, additive exposure sources

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CONCERN REFERENCE
Used in food or as an additive with limited or no toxicity information availableFDA Everything Added to Food
Designated as safe for general or specific, limited use in foodFDA Food Additive Status
Designated as safe for general or specific, limited use in foodFDA Everything Added to Food

Ecotoxicology

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CONCERN REFERENCE
Not suspected to be an environmental toxinEnvironment Canada Domestic Substance List

Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive)

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CONCERN REFERENCE
Classified as not expected to be potentially toxic or harmfulEnvironment Canada Domestic Substance List

Persistence and bioaccumulation

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CONCERN REFERENCE
Not suspected to be persistentEnvironment Canada Domestic Substance List
Not suspected to be bioaccumulativeEnvironment Canada Domestic Substance List

Data gaps

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CONCERN REFERENCE
2110 studies in PubMed science library may include information on the toxicity of this chemicalNLM PubMed
  • Open scientific/peer reviewed literature
  • FDA (U.S. Food and Drug Administration). 2008. EAFUS [Everything Added to Food]: A Food Additive Database. FDA Office of Food Safety and Applied Nutrition.
  • FDA (U.S. Food and Drug Administration) 2006. Food Additive Status List. Downloaded from http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/%7Edms/opa-appa.html, Oct 16, 2006.
  • EC (Environment Canada). 2008. Domestic Substances List Categorization. Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA) Environmental Registry.
  • NLM (National Library of Medicine). 2012. PubMed online scientific bibliography data. http://www.pubmed.gov.

Understanding scores

Cosmetics and personal care products are not required to be tested for safety before being allowed on the market. The Skin Deep® scoring system was designed to help the public understand whether a product is safe to use or whether it contains ingredients of concern.

Every product and ingredient in Skin Deep gets a two-part score – one for hazard and one for data availability. The safest products score well by both measures, with a low hazard rating and a fair or better data availability rating.

HOW WE DETERMINE SCORES

Hazard score

The Skin Deep ingredient hazard score, from 1 to 10, reflects known and suspected hazards linked to the ingredients. The EWG VERIFIED® mark means a product meets EWG’s strictest criteria for transparency and health.

Score legend

Data availability

The Skin Deep data availability rating reflects the number of scientific studies about the product or ingredient in the published scientific literature.

NONE LIMITED FAIR GOOD ROBUST
Low Availability
Moderate Availability
High Availability

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